Cigarette machinery



A May 13, 1930. w, E MoLlNS 1,758,800l

C IGARETTE MACHINERY Filed July 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 13, 1930.w. E. MoLlNs C IGARETTE MACHINERY Filed July 2, i928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2www Hf wom 5 MM /N VEN TUR.

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Patented May 13, 193@ UNITED STATES WALTER EVERETT MOLINS, OF LONDON,ENGLAND CIGARETTE MACHINERY Application led July 2, 1928, Serial No.289,930, and in Great Britain July 4, 1927.

This invention is` for improvements -in or relating to cigarettemachinery and more particularly to an apparatus for recovering tobaccofrom defective cigarettes which are produced during the course ofmanufacture.

The object of the present invention is to provide an ecient apparatuswhich will ensure that all jthe tobacco from the waste cigarettes isrecovered, because in view of the high taxation upon tobacco it isessential that the loss of tobacco should be reduced to a minimum.

In tobacco stripping machines at present employed, the cigarette afterbeing slit is discharged into a rotary or moving sieve and the tobaccois sifted from the paper, with the result that the tobacco is convertedinto very short shreds, which have to be mixed with a volume of longshreds, to be employed '20 again.

According to the present invention there is provided a stripping`machine wherein the longer shreds of tobacco are not subjected to such asifting operation, thus retaining the long shreds in their original formand obviating the accumulation of short shreds.

The present invention consists of a stripping machine which comprisesmeans for positively conveying each cigarette beneath a knife arrangedto slit the paper of the same, means- (for example a folder) forunfolding the slit paper from about the tobacco of each cigarette andmeans for positively separating the tobacco from the paper.

The invention is more particularly de.-

scribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line A-A of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a modified form of slitting machine, and

Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. l and .2z-A Vheel l provided with a V groove 2 in theperiphery thereof is arranged to receive cigarettes from a travellingband 6. The wheel l is mounted on a spindle 3 and is arranged to berotated in the direction indicated so as to carry the cigarettes beneatha rotary slitting knife 4, and a rotary brush 5, arranged to remove thetobacco from the cigarette paper.A

The cigarettes are held in the groove 2 of the wheel l by suction towhich they are delivered by the conveyor band 6.

The wheel l is provided with a fiange 7 disposed parallel to the axis oft-he spindle 3 and a. fixed suction chamber 8 is mounted so as toenga-ge with the underside of the flange 7 so that as the wheel rotatesthe inner surface of the fiange is maintained in cone tact with thesuction chamber 8. Small holes 9 formed in the flange 7 constitute acommunication between the V groove 2 and the chamber 8.

The suction chamber 8 is arranged so as to cover a portion of theperiphery of the wheel 1 sufficient to ensure that a cigarette is heldwhilst it is being slit and the tobacco brushed from the paper. As soonas the cigarette paper held by the wheel passes the suction chamber, thesuction ceases and the paper falls freely into a box 10. By thisconstruction the power required to drive the suction pump (not shown) issmall, as the suction is only exerted over a small area.

lf desired, however, the wheel l may be made in the form of a hollowdrum, the interior being connected to a suction pump. The brush 5 ispreferably shaped to conform to the shape of the groove 2, in order tocarry out its work as eiiiciently as possible.

Immediately the cigarette paper has been slit by the knife the same willbe opened out by suction through the holes in the side walls of the Vgroove. The slit open cigarette then meets the rotary brush 5 whichbrushes the whole of the tobacco off the paper and ejects it into a box11. The paper passes on and falls down into thebox 10 as previouslydescribed. If necessary, a stripper may be fitted to ensure that thepaper leaves the wheel at the desired position.

The air drawnv through the suction chamber is passed through a screen inthe usual way, to prevent the loss of any dust or small tobacco which itmay carry with it.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4; aconveyor band l2 carried on rollers 13 and 14 is adapted to receivecigarettes from any suitable form of hopper (not shown) and convey thesame through a channel member 14a. One end of the channel comprises a Ushaped groove which gradually spreads out into a fiat V and, ultimately,into a flat surface. VrI'Lhe conveyor band runs through the said channeland conforms to the configuration thereof at any particular section inthe same inaner as the tape on a cigarette machine conforms to the shapeof the garniture channel. g

A rotary cutter 15 is provided which is arranged to'slit the cigarettes.

The portion of the channel member 14a which lies between the'cutter 15Vand the brush 16 is made hollow and is connected by pipes 17 to anexhaust pump. Grooves 21 are made in the surface ofthe main channel andthese are connected by means of a central'opening 18 to the hollowportion of the channel block.

A plate 19 is fixed to the side of the machine which lies in the path ofthe cigarettes and close to the surface of the tape where the guidechannel for the tape comprises a substantially fiat surface.

The operation ofthe machine is as follows:

The cigarettes are fed on to the band which conveys the same through thechannel and beneath the knife which slits the same open after which thepaper is sucked downwardly so as to conform to the transverseconfiguration of the sides of the channel by suction exerted through thetape or band. The cigarette paper is opened out and eventually liesquite flat on the band. AsV the opened cigarette passes under the plate19 the long shreds of tobacco are sweptoff and fall into a container 20.rlhe cigarette paper, together with a certain amount of short shreds oftobacco and dust, pass beneath the brush 16 which brushes all thetobaccooif the surface of the paper and the tobacco falls down with thepaper into a container 22 or to a rotating sieve (not shown). The paperand tobacco dust are then sifted in the usual' manner, and owing tothefact that the dust has been positively brushed o the paper, it canreadily be sifted from the loose cigarette, papers delivered by themachine. n

- If desired, the cigarette papers may be separated from the dustbycarrying the same ontheband'round the roller 14, the-papersbeing causedto adhere to the` band by suction.

Thus it vwill be seen that according tothe 'present invention there;Y Aprovided vmeans whereby all the tobaccois Yremoved from Lthe cigarette,the long shreds of tobacco being deposited in one container, the shortshreds in a second container andthe cigarette paper deposited ina thirdcontainer obviating the necessity of separating the same from'oneanother 'by fa" sieve action;

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with` means for slitting the cigarette paper, of pneumaticmeans for unfolding the slit paper, and means for separating the tobaccofrom the paper.

2. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with cutting means for slitting a cigarette paper axially ofthe cigarette, of a conveyer for moving said cigarette into and out ofthe active zone of said cutting means and pneumatic means for unfoldingthe slit paperl from tobacco contained therein.

3. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with means for slitting the. cigarette paper, of pneumaticmeans for unfolding the slit paper, and means for separating the tobaccofrom the paper, said last mentioned means including a rotating brushadapted to sweep the inner face of the unfolded paper.

4. In a machine for recovering Ytobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with cutting means, of a conveyer adapted to support andcarry cigarettes beneath said cutting means for slitting the cigarette.paper axially, and pneumatic means beneatlrsaid conveyer for thereafterunfolding the slit paper vto expose the tobacco.

5. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with a conveyer adapted to receive andk carry cigarettes, ofcutting means disposed on one side of said conveyer and acting to `slitthe paper of the moving cigarettes axially, and suction producing meansdisposed on the other side of said conveyer and acting through thelatter to unfold the slit paper .to expose the tobacco. l

6. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with cutting means, of a fixed' vane, and a conveyer forcarrying cigarettes through the active Zone of said cutting meansand-past said fixed vane to slit the cigarette paper and remove tobaccotherefrom.

Y. In a machine for recoveringv tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with cutting means, ofra fixed vane, and aconveyer forcarrying cigarettes through the active zone of said cutting means andpast said fixed vane to slit the cigarette paper and remove thev longershreds of tobacco therefrom, and separate means for thereafterfremovingthe short shreds of tobacco from the Paper 8.] In a machine forrecovering Vtobacco from defective cigarettes, the combination withcutting means, of a fixed vane, and a conveyer forcarrying cigarettesvthrough the active zone of said,cutting,meansandpastsaid fiXedlvane-toslit the'fcigarette paper and remove the longer shreds of tobaccotherefrom, rotating means adjacent the path of movement of the conveyerfor brushing the short shreds of tobacco from the paper, and means forthereafter receiving the separated paper and short tobacco shreds fromthe conveyer.

9. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with means for slitting the cigarette paper, of meansprovided with a throat gradually changing in cross section from a Ushape to a substantially straight line through which the slit cigarettesare passed, and means for providing a difference in air pressure to theopposite. sides of the cigarette paper to cause the latter to conform tothe shape of the throat for gradually unfolding the paper.

10. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with means for slitting the cigarette paper, of meansprovided with a throat gradually changing in cross section from a Ushape to a substantially straight line through which the slit cigarettesare passed, and apertures in said last named means emerging in the Wallof the throat to Which suction lnay be applied to Cause the cigar-ettepaper to conform to the shape of the throat for gradually unfolding thepaper.

ll. In a machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, thecombination with means for slitting the cigarette paper, of meansprovided With a throat gradually changing in cross section from a Ushape to a substantially straight line, a tape for carrying thecigarettes through said throat, said throat being provided with suctionapertures acting through said tape to cause the cigarette paper toconform to the shape of the throat during passage therethrough togradually unfold the paper.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aHiX my signature.

WALTER EVER-ETT MOLINS.

